Reservations

Holy Hill is another one of the most notable natural landmarks of Mikulov. For its large amounts rare and protected species of plants and animals, the region was declared a wildlife sanctuary. On top of Holy Hill, there is a pilgrim church of St. Sebastian, a bell tower and other objects of the Stations of the Cross.

Holy Hill (363 m) is one of the Pavlov Hills. Jurassic limestone cliff has an oval shape with a flat top and steep precipices. A large number of protected species can be found on Holy Hill. Therefore, it was declared a botanical reserve as early as 1946, and in 1992 turned into a nature reserve. Original plant species are maintained in the steppe community at the top of Holy Hill. On the southern slopes, there is a rocky steppe with a variety of plants (low iris, feather reed grass, mountain germander). Unique is the occurrence of several species of parasitic broomrapes. The eastern slopes are covered with shrubs with dominant hawthorn; northern slopes were afforested in the past. The steppes are with abundant thermophilous insects. The most popular vertebrates at Holy Hill are large eagle owls nesting in the wall of an abandoned quarry.